Zigzag embroidering machines



March 27, 1962 BUNSAKU TAKETOM] 3,026,832

ZIGZAG EMBROIDERING MACHINES Filed Nov. 10, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS March 27, 1962 BUNSAKU TAKETOMI 3,026,832

ZIGZAG EMBROIDERING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 10, 1958 INVENTOR.

March 27, 1962 BUNSAKU TAKETOMI 3,026,832

ZIGZAG EMBROIDERING MACHINES Filed Nov. 10, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 g INVENTOR.

. E1? 31 5M I- ///z fix A TORNEYS 3,Z6,&3Z Patented Mar. 27, 1 $62 3,026,832 ZIGZAG EMBROIDERING MACHINES Bunsaku Taketomi, Chigusa-ku, Nagoya-ski, Japan, as-

siguor to Aichi Kogyo Kahushiki Kaisha, ()aza Shigehara, Kariya-shi, Aichiken, Japan 3 Filed Nov. 10, 1958,-Ser. No. 772,747

3 Claims. (Cl. 112.204)

This invention relates to a sewing. machine, and min ticularly to a zigzag embroidering machine which may feed a cloth in longitudinal and/ or transversal directions positively and/ or negatively.

One objectof this invention is to provide a sewing machine whereby it becomes possible to embroider a cloth with a complicated figure, line, letter, and the like at will.

Another objectof this invention is to provide a sewing machine whereby it becomes possible to embroider a cloth with a repeating figure automatically.

Briefly stated in accordance with one aspect of this invention, an embroidering machine comprises a feeder, a mechanism for moving the feeder either positively or negatively in the longitudinal direction, another mechanism for moving the feeder either positively or negatively in the transversal direction, and a controller for controlling one and/ or both of the two mechanisms whereby it becomes possible to feed a cloth by the feeder in a resultant direction of composition of the movement provided .by the two mechanisms.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the essential part of a zigzag embroidering machine embodying the principles of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partly sectional front elevation of a manual controller shown in FIG. 1 with a part removed;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation of the controller;

FIG. 4 is a perspective View of an automatic controller;

FIG. 5 is a partly sectional front elevation of an arm of the embroidering machine shown in FIG. 1 with a part removed;

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along lines 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a pressing means;

FIG. 8 is a partly transversally sectional front vieW of the pressing means shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the pressing means;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a feeder; and

FIGS. ll-a, 11b, 11-0, ll-d, 11-2, 11 11g, 11-h, 11-i, and 11-1 show representative figures which may be formed on a cloth by the zigzag embroidering machine according to this invention.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the preferred embodiments of this invention will now be described. However, this description is to be understood to be illustrative of the invention and not as limiting it to the particular constructions shown and described.

A main shaft 20 is provided which may be driven by conventional means. A feed cam 22 is secured on the main shaft 20. Two forks 24 and 26 are in contact with the cam 22. Two sliding blocks 29 and 31 are pivoted on the sides of the forks 24 and 26, respectively. The sliding blocks 29 and 31 are adapted to be slidable along the grooves of two adjusting channels 28 and 30, respectively. By varying inclination of the adjusting channel, movement of the fork may be varied in the conventional manner for sewing machines. However, in accordance with this invention, either of the two forks 24 and 26 may be adjusted at will regardless of the other. That is, the transversal feed fork 26 may be controlled while the longitudinal feed fork 24 is kept in a given position. The longitudinalfeed fork 24 may also be controlled while the other fork 26 is .kept in a given position. And both forks 24 and 26 may be controlled at the same time. The adjusting means will be described hereinafter.

The bottom end of the longitudinal feed fork 24 is pivotally connected to an arm 25 which is secured to a bearing 25a on a feeding shaft 32. A pair of swingarms 34 are secured on the feeding shaft 32 in parallel with each other and have a side shaft 36 connected to the outer ends of the swing arms 34 in parallel with the feeding shaft 32. An end of a feed plate 38 is rotatably and slidably mounted on the side shaft 36. The other end of the feed plate 38 is engaged with a conventional swing shaft 42 so as to give either a positively or negatively longitudinal motion at will to an indented feeder 40 secured on the feed plate 38 in a conventional manner in construction of the sewing machine.

The sliding block 31 and the adjusting channel 30 are capable of adjusting the movement of the transversal feed fork 26 in a similar manner to that of the longitudinal feed fork 24. A horizontal sleeve 44 is rotatably and slidably mounted on the feeding shaft 32. A side arm 48 and a bottom arm 4? extend laterally from the horizontal sleeve 44 and side arm 48 is pivotally connected to the bottom end of the transversal feed fork 26. The bottom arm 49 is engaged with a horizontal fork 54 fixedly connected to and extending laterally from a vertical sleeve 52 rotatably mounted on a vertical shaft 50 secured on the base so as to swing the vertical sleeve 52 about the vertical shaft 50 as the horizontal sleeve 44 swings about the feeding shaft 32. The top end of the vertical shaft 50 has a connecting arm 56 integral therewith and the free end thereof is pivotally joined with an end of a connecting rod 58, the outer end thereof being pivotally joined with the feed plate 38. Thus the feed plate 38 and the indented feeder 40 secured thereon may be moved transversally by the side shaft 36 regardless of the longitudinal motion of the feed plate 38.

The longitudinal and the transverse oscillations of the feed plate 38 may be synchronized with the motion of the swing shaft 42 in a common manner so as to be able not only to select one of the positive and negative, longitudinal and transverse motions of the indented feeder 40 at its operation position, but also a resultant motion of the indented feeder 40 may be composed of any two of these four motions by adjusting the two adjusting means for the two feed forks 24 and 26 manually or automatically.

There is provided a controlling means for the manual and automatic adjustment as above in accordance with this invention. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a manual controlling means. A bracket 62 is secured on the base 60. A horizontal shaft 64 is journalled by a boss of the bracket 60 and has a holding member 66 which holds a following block by means of two threaded pivots 68 arranged horizontally, longitudinally and in alignment with 3 each other. A shaft 72 extends from the opposite side of the following block 70 in the holding member 66 in alignment with the axis of the horizontal shaft 64 and extends slidably and rotatably through a hole provided radially in a ball 82 rotatably positioned in a socket 80. The socket 80 is integral with and held at an end of a transversal feed arm 78 which is pivoted on a support member 74 by means of a pivot 76. The other end of the transversal feed arm 78 is pivotally connected to an end of a transversal feed link 84, the other end thereof being pivotally connected to an end of the transversal adjusting channel 30, while the free end of a longitudinal feed arm 94 connected to and extending from the holding member 66 is pivotally connected to an end of a longitudinal feed link 96, the other end thereof being pivotally connected to an end of the longitudinal adjusting channel 28. An operating rod 90 is provided for the manual operation of the two adjusting means. A limiting ring 92 is secured on a threaded portion of the operating rod 90 which is inserted through an inverted 1 conical hole 88 provided vertically in the horizontal top portion of the bracket 62 and the inverted conical bottom of the limiting ring 92 is adapted to set closely on the conical hole 88. An operating ball 86 is provided on the bottom end of the operating rod 90 and is adapted to be moved but kept within the following plug 70. When the limiting ring 92 is screwed down along the operating rod 90, the limiting ring 92 is forced to set on the conical hole 88 at the lowermost position of the former so as to limit the motion of the operating rod 90 in any extent and direction. If the limiting ring 92 is screwed upwardly on rod 90, the motion of the operating rod 90 is permitted to a limited extent and in any direction and the extent is varied as the limiting ring 92 is turned; Downward pressure by an operator on rod 90 when being moved causes block 70 to likewise move therewith. In case the operating rod 90 is restricted by means of screwing down the limiting ring 92 at its lowermost position closely within the inverted conical hole 88, the rod 90 is kept in its upstanding position whereby a series of operating mechanisms comprising the holding member 66, the following block 70, the protruding shaft 72, the ball 82, the socket 80, the transversal feed arm 78, the transversal feed link 84, the longitudinal feed arm 94, and the transversal feed link 96 is retained against movement and the adjusting channels 28 and 30 are kept stationary at the non-feeding position.

When the limiting ring 92 has been screwed up rod 90 from the inverted conical hole 88, an operator may then tilt the operating rod 90 within an angle corresponding to the space between ring 92 and bracket 62 in any direction controlling the action of the needle acting on a cloth to be embroidered. Thus it becomes possible to effect any zigzag embroidering on the cloth at will by means of repeating various tiltings of the operating rod 90 so as to tilt either or both of the adjusting channels 28 and 30 relatively to each other, resulting in various complicated figures, curves, letters which may be embroidered. In case the operating rod 90 is kept stationary in a tilt position, straight stitches may be made in a desired direction, which is determined by selecting the tilting direction. It is also possible and easy to change the various ways of sewing or embroidering one after another. Therefore, it becomes possible to embroider a cloth such as a table-cloth with a figure to be done throughout the cloth.

In accordance with this invention, the pitch of feeding a cloth is determined by means of the inclination of the operating rod 90. Accordingly, it is convenient to consider that the state in which the operating rod 90 is 'kept in the upstanding position by screwing the limiting ring 92 down to the inverted conical hole 88, or the non-feeding state is the cardinal state. A series of graduations are calibrated along the operating rod 90 up from a cardinal point corresponding to the position of the top surface of the limiting ring 92 when the same is kept in the nonfeeding state. Preferably, these graduations are made correspondingly to a series of extents of feeding, R R R R R etc., as shown in FIG. 3. Thus when the top of the limiting ring 92 is kept at a graduation, for example, R it is very easy to keep the extent of feed corresponding thereto, for example, 2 mm. Referring now to FIG. 3, assuming that it is intended to write a letter a by means of embroidering, as the letter a is begun with a leftward stroke which curves gradually downwards and then curves downwards to the right, and then through the lowermost curve, the curve is directed upward to the right straight up to the starting point from whence the straight portion is traced backwards and then the stroke curves again right-downwards to the second lowermost curve through which an up end to the right is continued, it is necessary to tilt the operating rod in the E direction to the left at first. Now through a series of mechanisms including the following block 70, protruding shaft 72, socket 80, ball 82, transversal feed arm 78, transversal feed link 84 and adjusting channel 30, the motion of the indented feeder 40 is restricted within a righthand cloth feeding. Immediately after the start, as it is required to embroider the left-downward portion of the letter a, the operating rod 90 should be turned from the E position to the F position whereby the indented feeder 40 is moved upwards to the right. The operating rod 90 must then gradually be turned through the G position, and the H position to I position. From the I position corresponding to the first lowermost stroke of the letter a, the operating rod 90 must be turned to the N position through the I, K, L, M, and N positions relatively quickly and kept at the P position for a while when the longitudinal feeding mechanism composed of the adjusting channel 28, etc. gives the cloth a limited negative longitudinal motion while the transverse feeding mechanism composed of the adjusting channel 30, etc. gives the same a leftward motion greater than the above amount of the longitudinal motion. Then the operating rod 90 must be turned to the A or 0 position slightly, if necessary in order to coincide with the initial point. When the needle arrives at the initial point, the operating rod 90 must be counterchanged into the H position through the center immediately so as to reverse the direction of the stroke whereby the cloth becomes fed in the direction corresponding to the P position shown in FIG. 3. After the straight portion is repeated, the operating rod 90 must be turned to the 0 position through the H, I, I, K, L, M, and N positions rapidly. Thus the cloth may be embroidered with a letter a completely.

Referring now to FIG. 4 through 6, an embroidering system comprising an automatic operating system, embodying this invention will be explained. An eccentric cam 98 is secured on the main shaft 20. A following lever 108 supported swingably on the fulcrum 102 is forced to follow the eccentric cam 98. An adjusting slider 106 is adjustably fixed in a segmental groove 104 formed in and along the front part of the following lever 108 and has a connecting rod 118 one end thereof being swingably pivoted with the slider 106. The other end of the connecting rod 118 is swingably connected to a protrusion 116 extending from a clicking disc 114 of a ratchet gearing 112 secured on a cam shaft 110. The cam shaft is journalled by a bearing Wall box 132 within which a brake made of, for example, nylon is provided so as to restrain the rotation of the cam shaft 110 appropriately. The wall box 132 is fixed on the front wall of the machine arm 100. A screw 134 is provided through the wall box 132 whereby the brake may be pushed against the cam shaft 110. Thus the cam shaft 110 may be turned intermittently being driven by the main shaft 20. The angular velocity of the intermittent motion given to the cam shaft 110 may be ad justed by means of displacing the adjusting slider 106 with respect to the segmental groove 104. Two sets of,

- built-up earns, the longitudinal profiling cams .120 and transversal profiling cams 122 are secured removably and adjustably on the cam shaft 110. The adjustment of the built-up cams 120 and 122 may be made at will as to their difference in phase. Two operating levers, a longitudinal operating lever 124 and a transversal operating lever 126, extend from the adjusting channels 28 and 30, having a longitudinal contacting element 125 and a transversal contacting element 127 protruding therefrom downwards, respectively. By virtue of the action of two springs 128 and 130, the contacting elements 125 and 127 are each forced to contact with the built-up cams 120 and 122, respectively. In addition, the adjusting channels 28 and 30 may be kept in a predetermined position by screwing adjusting screws 136 having adjusting knobs 138 as shown in FIG. 6.

It should be noted that the longitudinal profiling cam 120 and/ or the transversal profiling cam 122 may be single cams. When they are single cams, a longitudinal feed and a transversal feed may be given by the single cams, respectively. It may be seen that the two kinds of feeds may be combined. When the phase diiference of each cam is taken into consideration, variation of figure embroiderable by this machine should be appreciated. When it is intended to embroider a continuously repeating figure, this machine would serve the' purpose ex tremely effectively.

When the built-up cams as shown in FIG. 4 are substituted for the single cams and are slideable axially but not rotatably on the cam shaft 110, respectively, an operator may easily select any of the built-up cams for the longitudinal and the transversal feeds. Alternatively, the operating levers 124 and the same 126 may have joints which may be swung only horizontally so as to set the contacting elements 125 and 127 on any of the members of the built-up cams at will, respectively.

In addition, the operating levers, the longitudinal operating lever 124 and the transversal operating lever 126, may be operated manually so to direct the indented feeder 46 in a desired direction.

Referring now to FIG. ll-a, it will now be explained how to embroider a star. Assuming that the star is embroidered in the counter-clockwise direction starting at a point 201, the line 201-202 may be embroidered by combining a larger positive longitudinal feed and a smaller rightward feed corresponding to the tilt of the operating rod '90 in the direction H shown in FIG. 3. The larger positive longitudinal feed and the smaller rightward feed may be achieved by selecting cams. Then the line 2fi2 2193 may be worked by the rightward feed only corresponding to the tilt of the operating rod 90 in the E direction. These feeds may be selected by selecting either or both of the longitudinal profiling cam 129 and the transversal profiling cam 122. Thus the whole border of the star may be embroidered by means of merely selecting the two cams 120' and 122.

Referring now to FIG. 11- a figure of continuous near triangles may be embroidered starting at a point 211. At first the indented feeder must be moved in the direction H as the initial motion for the star figure by selecting the profiling cams correspondingly to the H direction. Then the indented feeder must be moved in the direction E in FIG. 3 by means of the transversal profiling cam 122 while the longitudinal profiling cam 120 is kept at rest. The third feed from point 213 to point 214 may be worked by directing the indented feeder 40 in the direction corresponding to the direction B in FIG. 3. Repeating the above manner, the illustrated figure may be embroidered.

Other than those straightly linear figures, curving figures may be worked by this machine. For example, referring to FIG. 11-1, at button-hole work will be explained. The work is started from the top of the left straight side and the indented feeder 40 is moved longitudinally positively by means of the action of the longitudinal feed mechanism while the transversal feed mechanism is kept at rest but only the proper zigzag motion is continued constantly. Then the feather-stitch of the rounded portion may be worked by directing the indented feeder -40 in an always varying direction which may, in turn, be achieved by adjusting the two feed mechanisms conitnuously and contrarily or compensatively.

According to this invention, all of these and other operations may be observed continuously at the tip of the needle or on the cloth just being embroidered. Therefore, the embroidering work may be facilitated resulting in the achievement of fine, fruitful, and rapid emhroidering works.

In order to meet the mechanism according to this invention whereby a cloth may be fed positively and negatively longitudinally and transversally, the mechanism must be followed by a specifically design pressing means. Referring now to FIGS. 7 through 9, there is a rounded edged disc or pressing plate 142 having a needle hole 158 at the center thereof. Two lugs 14 2 are protruded upwardly from the top of the disc 142 whereby a fork member 148 is pivoted swingably, two pins being extended through the lugs 142 and the legs of the fork member 14 8. The center of the fork member 148 is pivoted swingably to the bottom end of a bracket 152 which is secured on the bottom end of a pressing rod 156 by means of a screw. The two pivots 140 are in alignment with each other and the two are arranged at a right angle to the pin 154 connecting the fork member 148 with the bracket 152. By virtue of this. construction, the disc 142 may be tilted in any direction as if a universal joint so as to meet the universal feeding direction of the embroidering machine according to this invention. The pressing rod 156 is secured to and extended from the machine arm 1013. Around the needle hole 158, there is provided a round recess 160 in the bottom surface of the disc or pressing plate 14-2 to tighten the yarn passing the needle hole.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A zigzag embroidering machine comprising a driven shaft, a feed cam fixedly mounted on said shaft, a pair of feed forks engaging said cam, a pair of pivotally mounted channels, a pair of slides each pivotally connected to a different one of said feed forks and slidably mounted in one of said channels, an operating rod, means controlled by said operating rod for individually and collectively varying the position of said channels and the motion of said feed forks, a feed dog and means controlled by said feed forks for imparting either of two angularly related directions and a direction composed of said two related directions to said feed dog.

2. A zigzag embroidering machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for varying the position of said channels comprises a rotatably supported shaft, a block, a U-shaped holding member having a base fixedly connected to an end of said shaft, a pair of pivots carried by said holding member and extending laterally of said shaft pivotally supporting opposite sides of said block, said operating rod being connected to said block for moving the same, adjustable means for limiting the movement of said rod, a second shaft extending from said block in alignment with said first shaft, a ball rotatably and slidably carried by said second shaft, a socket encasing said ball, a pair of pivotally connected levers connecting said first shaft with one of said channels, a pivotally supported lever fixedly connected to an end of said socket and a link pivotally connected to the opposite end of said pivotally supported lever and the other of said channels.

3. A zigzag embroidering machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said controlled means controlled by said feed forks consists of a feeding shaft, an arm fixedly connected to and extending laterally from said feeding shaft and pivotally connected to one of said feed forks for being pivoted thereby to rotate said feeding shaft, a pair of swing arms fixedly connected to and extending laterally 7 of said feeding shaft, a feed plate having said feed do g mounted thereon, means pivotally and slidably connecting said feed plate to said swing arms, means operatively connecting the other of said feed forks to said feed plate for sliding said feed plate on said feeding shaft and means for pivoting said feed plate about said feeding shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Smyth May 14, 1872 Wallace Oct. 30, 1877 

